One of the most pressing questions in the life of an early tax filer – when can I expect my tax refund to come? Before e-filing, this was always difficult to predict. First, you mail in your return. Then someone inputs all your information (and later, computers scanned in your information), then the Treasury had to issue a check, which was then mailed to you. Now, with a free IRS e-file, you can get your refund in as little as 8 days from when you file, if you elect for direct deposit.

For 9 out of 10 taxpayers, the IRS issued refunds in less than 21 days from the date the return was received last year.

For the 2015 tax filing season, the IRS announced that it will start accepting eFile and paper returns on January 20, 2015. You can find the press release here.